And people recommend saving for drafts instead of packs, but the draft experience is just as awful as everything else. I've been able to afford a whopping two whole drafts since open beta began. First one I did decent and went 5-3, last one I went 1-3 due to two games of drawing absolutely NO land turn after turn (one game ended with me having two lands on the board and my opponent had a four color deck with about 10 mana out. Real fun to lose a game you absolutely should be able to win due to the amazing shuffler and not getting a Bo3 draft option). So that draft was two weeks of hoarding gold and it ended in 20 minutes in the most obnoxious, bull***** way one could end. Was hoping to get some gems to play sealed, which costs an obscene 2000 gems (or about $12-13 cash) There's really no room for free players in this game, but then again I couldnt imagine dropping real money on a game like my last draft ($5 a draft!) - it'd be 10x worse and both options seem like great ways to drive away players. So, I really dont see who they're trying to market this game to.
The Bo3 draft option does exist, it's the "competitive" draft queue. It does cost more but also pays more (breakeven is at 4-2 instead of 5.5-3). There's also something to point out that the game tells you in one of the loading screens: for Bo1 matches, the game will generate two opening hands and give you the one that has closest to 40% lands. So you'll very often get 2 to 4 land openers and while I haven't done enough data collection my gut reaction tends to give it credence.
Does mana screw/mana flood happen every now and again? Sure. Is it infuriating? Yep. But if you think the game is checking to see how much you've paid to determine how good a hand to give you, I'm honestly surprised you put any faith in corporations at all, let alone this one.
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Top 16 - 2012 Indiana State Championships Currently Playing: GBStandard - Golgari Safari MidrangeBG RBWModern - Mardu PyromancerWBR RLegacy - Good Old Fashioned BurnR
Found something interesting after watching several games online with different players. It looks like the game is designed so that it rigs the match in favor of the opponent if a player plays a particular deck too much. I know I've mentioned it before here, but I had thought they'd stopped doing the rigging a while back. I don't think the developers or Wizards realizes that most people who play this game a lot can smell standard deviation from deliberate card placement a mile away.
I've seen this happen the most with players playing green. For some reason, when they face off against izzit, for example, the opposing player always succeeds at getting 4x Lightning Strike in the first few draws and usually has at least one in their hand at the game start. I'm talking like they have the perfect amount of land and just draw into lightning strikes to kill each and every threat that lands.
I know they want to prevent another situation like Kaladesh block where everyone was playing the same deck, but as long as people are playing on MTGO, in paper, and Cockatrice, there is no way to hide the best deck behind deliberately rigged matches. Losing to bad draws or having to mulligan to 2 cards when you know the ratio of land in the deck should make that statistically impossible is idiotic and shows the game developers are not used to the kind of people that play this game. This kind of rigging is really common in Call of Duty as well as other FPS games to make unskilled players feel better about themselves.
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1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
If they rig the games like that, its a sure fire way of killing off any potential Arena has in the competitive sense, they would not be that stupid in this age of Twitch streaming, would they?
If they rig the games like that, its a sure fire way of killing off any potential Arena has in the competitive sense, they would not be that stupid in this age of Twitch streaming, would they?
Well, it's possible that it's just coincidence that three or four streamers who play mono green get paired against the same three or four decks when they've been winning repeatedly, then get that kind of strange draw behavior from decks that run Lightning strike. However, given this isn't the first time I saw this happen I'm pretty sure that they are doing it. People were pretty livid when they discovered the rigging that happened with Call of Duty.
Private Mod Note
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Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
You can delete the decklists, but those cards are in your collection and always will be. MTGA has a stated no dusting policy, so opening packs through the store, rewards, or drafting is the only way to acquire cards. Every pack opened in the store / reward packs grant progress toward specific wildcards with visible markers in the top right while opening. Fifth copies of cards are semi-dusted immediately, giving you progress points to a very slow vault that grants a set of wildcards.
I've been playing for a couple weeks, and I almost have a white aggro deck smoothed out despite being awful at drafting. The start is slow if you only use handouts like I did, but it's viable.
(Use PlayRavnica code in store for three boosters. Prerelease kits came with a free sealed entry code too.)
I'm probably going to give the game a shot. Given the behavior is predictable on the rigging it's possible to play around it if it happens.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
I dont buy this rigging issue at all. Who would bother to play it?
The real issue, is taking your garbage starting deck (like what I have) up against a fully built out Mythic/Rare deck and getting absolutely dumpstered like I just did. Not sure where the fun is in that.
I dont buy this rigging issue at all. Who would bother to play it?
The real issue, is taking your garbage starting deck (like what I have) up against a fully built out Mythic/Rare deck and getting absolutely dumpstered like I just did. Not sure where the fun is in that.
Yes, that's true. Yesterday I suffered a "game" against two Ajani's Welcomes, two Ajani's Pridemates, followed immediately by Call the Cavalry. But from my experience it is not that often (so far happened four times in roughly forty games I played in ladder).
Yeah I played against that type of deck as well, was tedium. The worst was the UR deck though with Niv, Ral, Risk Factors, and bolts. I stood exactly no chance.
On the other hand, planeswalker decks are much better than starting decks. I brought both Ral's and Vraska's and I am continuously upgrading them from boosters (so far Piston-Fist Cyclops, Firemind's Research, and Overgrown Tomb). I'd say that just for casual playing in ladder they are quite decent. I even once managed to ultimate Vraska, Regal Gorgon. It was against opponent with Rekindling Phoenix, which has a nice animation when rekindling, and I was half expecting that a planeswalker ultimate will also have some nice touch. Maybe missed opportunity.
On the other hand, planeswalker decks are much better than starting decks. I brought both Ral's and Vraska's and I am continuously upgrading them from boosters (so far Piston-Fist Cyclops, Firemind's Research, and Overgrown Tomb). I'd say that just for casual playing in ladder they are quite decent. I even once managed to ultimate Vraska, Regal Gorgon. It was against opponent with Rekindling Phoenix, which has a nice animation when rekindling, and I was half expecting that a planeswalker ultimate will also have some nice touch. Maybe missed opportunity.
Most of the nice animations only go off when the permanent in question ETBs, which explains why Rekindling Phoenix gets it so often. I can see putting it on abilities getting very annoying when used multiple times over the course of the game. Planeswalkers do get voiceovers, at least.
Yeah, I should have used my Wild Cards on Walkers for sure. They are disproportionately strong in 'standard like' settings. My experience in Modern only caused me to make some poor choices.
Why have rigging in the game? It seems pointless. Just play competitive, your opponents should have similar win rates as you anyways and you are forced to play the same deck.
Why have rigging in the game? It seems pointless. Just play competitive, your opponents should have similar win rates as you anyways and you are forced to play the same deck.
I will say, I'm enjoying this a lot. Its kitchen-table level of decks, just cards that I would never in a million years pay for and play, but when my opponents decks are as bad as mine, its simply fun how magic was always fun as a kid.
Rekindling Phoenix in a game with little to no meaningful removal? Busted.
The Bo3 draft option does exist, it's the "competitive" draft queue. It does cost more but also pays more (breakeven is at 4-2 instead of 5.5-3). There's also something to point out that the game tells you in one of the loading screens: for Bo1 matches, the game will generate two opening hands and give you the one that has closest to 40% lands. So you'll very often get 2 to 4 land openers and while I haven't done enough data collection my gut reaction tends to give it credence.
Does mana screw/mana flood happen every now and again? Sure. Is it infuriating? Yep. But if you think the game is checking to see how much you've paid to determine how good a hand to give you, I'm honestly surprised you put any faith in corporations at all, let alone this one.
Currently Playing:
GBStandard - Golgari Safari MidrangeBG
RBWModern - Mardu PyromancerWBR
RLegacy - Good Old Fashioned BurnR
Clan Contest 3 Mafia - Mafia Co-MVP
I've seen this happen the most with players playing green. For some reason, when they face off against izzit, for example, the opposing player always succeeds at getting 4x Lightning Strike in the first few draws and usually has at least one in their hand at the game start. I'm talking like they have the perfect amount of land and just draw into lightning strikes to kill each and every threat that lands.
I know they want to prevent another situation like Kaladesh block where everyone was playing the same deck, but as long as people are playing on MTGO, in paper, and Cockatrice, there is no way to hide the best deck behind deliberately rigged matches. Losing to bad draws or having to mulligan to 2 cards when you know the ratio of land in the deck should make that statistically impossible is idiotic and shows the game developers are not used to the kind of people that play this game. This kind of rigging is really common in Call of Duty as well as other FPS games to make unskilled players feel better about themselves.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
Spirits
Well, it's possible that it's just coincidence that three or four streamers who play mono green get paired against the same three or four decks when they've been winning repeatedly, then get that kind of strange draw behavior from decks that run Lightning strike. However, given this isn't the first time I saw this happen I'm pretty sure that they are doing it. People were pretty livid when they discovered the rigging that happened with Call of Duty.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
I installed it yesterday, is there a guide anywhere on how to take the decks they give you, dust them (is this a thing?) and build an actual deck?
Spirits
I've been playing for a couple weeks, and I almost have a white aggro deck smoothed out despite being awful at drafting. The start is slow if you only use handouts like I did, but it's viable.
(Use PlayRavnica code in store for three boosters. Prerelease kits came with a free sealed entry code too.)
(Shame about the dusting, but whatever.)
Spirits
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
The real issue, is taking your garbage starting deck (like what I have) up against a fully built out Mythic/Rare deck and getting absolutely dumpstered like I just did. Not sure where the fun is in that.
Spirits
Yes, that's true. Yesterday I suffered a "game" against two Ajani's Welcomes, two Ajani's Pridemates, followed immediately by Call the Cavalry. But from my experience it is not that often (so far happened four times in roughly forty games I played in ladder).
Spirits
Most of the nice animations only go off when the permanent in question ETBs, which explains why Rekindling Phoenix gets it so often. I can see putting it on abilities getting very annoying when used multiple times over the course of the game. Planeswalkers do get voiceovers, at least.
Spirits
Spirits
Yeah I dont believe its rigged.
Spirits
Rekindling Phoenix in a game with little to no meaningful removal? Busted.
Spirits
Funnily, just got rid of one today: destroyed by Precision Bolt, then the totem scorched by attacking Hellkite Whelp...